Strawberries and Cream
by TamTam613
Summary: Just finished watching Strawberries and Cream Parts 1 & 2 and I could not help but infuse some more Jisbon related moments. They were an intense 2 episodes, but looking back again now, I wanted to highlight those moments and let myself get a bit more carried away with them. Just humoring myself and my fantasies.


Just finished watching Strawberries and Cream Parts 1 & 2 and I could not help but infuse some more Jisbon related moments. They were an intense 2 episodes, but looking back again now, I wanted to highlight those moments and let myself get a bit more carried away with them. Just humoring myself and my fantasies. This might have typos or other grammatical mistakes, but I could not resist writing it immediately after finishing my watch.

This is for my own indulgence and I do not own The Mentalist.

Strawberries and Cream Parts 1 & 2 – Episodes: 3x23 and 3x24

Jane showed up at the crime scene even though he was not called in. Lisbon asked him why he showed up, but he did not give a straight response. Although she questioned his presence, she subconsciously felt better when he was by her side- now as much as always.

The case was a twisted one. When discovering an address on the wall of the gas station bathroom, Lisbon and the team split up the leads which led to different coordinates across Sacramento. Lisbon was following the last lead which led her to an abandoned high school in a sketchy area down on Alameda.

Her phone rang as she was on her way. She picked up casually when she saw it was Jane. They chatted for a little until Lisbon told him where she was going. He was concerned when he heard where she was headed and after hanging up he left the CBI building to go after her. He had a bad vibe about the situation, but did not want to let her in on it otherwise she would have adamantly refused his back-up.

Once arriving at the high school Jane called out for her in the hallways. He followed his senses that led him to find Lisbon lying on the floor unconscious with a bomb strapped to her chest.

His heart went to his stomach and his face went pale.

"Lisbon!" he called.

Slowly she lifted her head, groggy and confused. When she looked at Jane, she saw the fear in his eyes and then looked down and saw the reason why.

She was terrified. As far as she could recall she had never felt this close to death and neither had Jane. There was a panic steaming between them, but Jane tried to grab hold of the situation. They both did not know how much time they would have until the bomb would detonate. Together, they attempted to deactivate it, but to no avail. At that moment, Jane looked Lisbon straight in the eye. Emotions were running high. What they had been holding inside for all of these years needed to finally be let loose as this seemed like it would be their last remaining moments on this earth together. There was no denying that their feelings were mutual.

It was Jane who spoke first.

"Lisbon, do you think now would be a good time for me to tell you how much I love you? I mean _love_ you love you. Like I would die with you, love you. Like I couldn't live without you love you."

"I guess now would be a _very_ good time for that," she said sarcastically, but with a flirtatious smile that said everything. "Is this what it takes for us two to be honest with each other? That is pathetic, huh?" Again, she smiled.

"Under the circumstances, I think we are handling it pretty well," Jane smiled back. The tension of the bomb was a bit off-set by this new revelation. Jane was at a loss for words. Lisbon, however, wanted to get in her part.

"Jane, I love you too, by the way," she said with a beam in her eyes.

"Ok, this may sound inappropriate, but can I kiss you my love? One last dying kiss?" he humored.

"Stop joking around Jane, this is serious, I have a bomb attached to me!"

"So is this." And with that he gently cupped her face with his hands and lifted her chin slightly to capture her lips with his.

Just then the phone rang. They had momentarily lost orientation of what was going, despite the utterly dire situation they were in. This kiss just one-upped the situation.

Lisbon's panicked look returned. Jane instructed her to pick up the phone. As she reached for it, he mouthed an "I love you" before she answered it.

Lisbon was praying in the car as Jane was driving away from the high school. The man on the other end of the phone line was aggravated at her muttering. Jane kept giving Lisbon fleeting glances as he drove without speaking a word to her. His looks had meaning behind them and she understood them. After their latest revelation, who knew if they would ever have the chance to express their love for each other again or experience it. Now, with the bomb situation and the man on the other end of the line listening to their every word, the only way he could communicate his longing for her was through his glances. It had to be enough for now as they needed to focus on getting out of this mess. One thing was for sure, Jane was not going to let her go at it alone. It was do or die.

Then Jane put the puzzle together. He made a turn for the gas station to throw off the perpetrator and surprise him in the act. Before Jane picked the lock to the room where the bomber was, he started murmuring to Lisbon, knowing full well that the bomber was going to overhear him. He planned on distracting the killer so that they would have a chance to barge in and startle him before he could get a grip on what was going on. But Jane also knew that this may be it and so delighted in telling Lisbon how he felt about her again. Lisbon would also know that he was sincere about it and not just using her emotions to throw off a killer. How much he wanted to kiss her again was immeasurable, but they had to get out of this alive first. That is what fueled him to risk his life by angering the perp and causing a commotion that even Lisbon couldn't control. In the end, Jane's antics saved them and he felt the relief. Lisbon, on the other hand, wasn't quite so pleased. Yes, of course she was grateful to be alive, but very angry at Jane for not leaving while he could.

During the few moments they had alone together after leaving the room, she gave him a quick scolding for disobeying her orders. But their conversation was cut short after hearing a shot from the police car and the perp ending up dead by the hands of LaRoche.

At the CBI, Van Pelt was overjoyed to see Lisbon safe and hugged her tightly. She mentioned to Lisbon how excited she was for her to be her bridesmaid and that she took the liberty of picking up her dress for her and placing it in her office to try on.

In usual Jane fashion, he barged into Lisbon's office unannounced with some new development. Never did he bother to knock, but this time Lisbon jumped out of her skin and berated him for not knocking. There she was, a disgruntled Lisbon, in a pink gown.

Jane's mouth dropped open and his eyes filled with wonder as he took her all in.

"Whoa. Oh, my." He was at a loss for words. "You look good. This is beautiful. Like a princess. An angry little princess. Someone stole your tiara."

Without turning back, he closed and locked the door behind him and walked with determination over to Lisbon, unable to take his eyes off of her. His attraction to her was building and she knew where he was going with this. She began to melt inside, suddenly glad that Jane did barge in without knocking, otherwise she would never had let him in!

He tenderly set his hands onto her bare shoulders. She shuddered. The sensation of her skin beneath his hands made him woozy as well. He was mesmerized. Although the world was spinning madly around them, at that moment, nothing else mattered. They needed to steal this moment. It was a lifeline for the two of them. It held the great risk of serving as a distraction to the mission at hand, but this was crucial to their existence as well, and possibly even more so than the mission itself.

"Lisbon, I need to kiss you again." She looked back at him with dewy eyes. He brought her closer as she melded into him, relishing in his touch. They kissed passionately this time, as if their lives depended on it. They needed each other now more than ever and due to the intense situations of the case at hand, they could not control their willpower as they had gotten too far along now. There was no turning back. The immense love they were feeling for each other now had become almost a necessity for them to carry on. They would put their feelings aside when this moment was over and then let it resurface when the time was right, but suppressing their feelings now would only backfire. They would utilize their bond as a motivation and as a lifeline, knowing that the love and complete trust they had for each other could only be a help, not a hindrance. It would make them stronger and gird them with the power to forge on, knowing they had a true partner in this world.

When their kiss ended, Jane grinned at Lisbon and whispered an "I love you." He was not sure he would ever be able to control himself from saying that to her over and over until the end of time. It still came as a shock to him that was able to say those words again to someone, to _feel_ those words again. Lisbon looked adorably back up at him and replied, "I love you too." She then broke out with the widest smile she possibly ever made. She felt happy and now complete, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her and she would be ready to face the world again and from an entirely new perspective. It would be out of an emotionally unguarded place with Jane, yet a secure and grounded one on a broader scope. She would be a better cop. She would fight crime not only coming from a place of determination and a will to serve justice, but from a wholesome part inside of her that now had love and support from the only person, besides her mother, that she had ever trusted with her life in every way.

What a startling revelation. And a liberating one as well.

After leaving the home of Max James, Hightower's cousin, Lisbon ordered Cho not to call in the murder. He was defiant at first, but Lisbon pleaded with him to let it go, and he finally relented.

With the threat of Red John now being on Hightower's trail, Lisbon immediately expressed her concerns to Jane.

"Red John's behind the bombs. He's hunting Hightower... He could come after you, Jane!"

"…If Red John wants me, he knows where to find me."

He then drew her closer and gave her a light peck on her head.

She would stand by Jane all the way as she knew he would work through this. Although she was inherently cautious and frightened to say the least, she had faith in him, and what _he_ wanted, _she_ wanted. Not because she was weak, but because he trusted him. She trusted _in_ him. It was a mystery to her why she did, but she still knew she wouldn't let him overstep the boundaries if it came to that. She would stop him if he got too far. Plus, she knew deep down that Jane's thirst for justice was just as strong as hers. He was not only full vengeance like it seemed to most people. He masked his feelings and intentions very well, but she saw him for who he really was. He cared for others more than he let on. He was a compassionate man, with a good heart and a heavy soul.

After meeting with Hightower, Jane rallied up the team to expose his plan. Lisbon declared that she was going to go along with it and the rest of them were in as well.

While Jane was sitting in the mall with Bertram, Lisbon was out at Canyon Ranch standing guard over Hightower and her kids.

After putting two and two together, Jane suddenly realized that they had come to the wrong conclusion and that Red John's man was in fact O'Laughlin. He desperately tried to reach Lisbon on her cell phone to warn her, but she was not picking up. It was then and there that he saw with complete clarity that nothing else in the world mattered to him more than that woman. Without her, his life was not worth living. Yes, he was caught up in a quest to find and kill the monster who murdered his wife and daughter, but at this moment, when he realized he could lose her, nothing else took precedence. _Nothing_.

When she finally heard Jane's blaring warning, she aimed her weapon at the culprit, but was just a fraction of a second too late. She did manage to dodge the close-range hit that could have nearly ended her life. Jane, hearing the commotion over the line, Lisbon's voice and then a shot, had him paralyzed with fright. His breathing stopped until he heard Lisbon get to her phone and strain out the words that she was wounded, but alive. Jane exhaled after hearing her voice, but then got back to his senses. Once he knew she was alive and safe, he would carry on with this plan. His love for her was compartmentalized and it was not a contradiction for him to continue with their mission. Now was not the time for lovey doveys. The two of them had an unspoken understanding between them that their feelings for one another would not compromise their professional work. Their dual relationship would work in tandem and also to their benefit. They would be stronger together than apart. A dynamic duo. It would work out, because they wanted both so badly. They were well aware of the risks involved and were prepared to face them.

Jane's conversation with the Red John impostor was a warped one, to say the least. Although under the circumstances it would have been perfectly excusable for him to go insane, Jane was in fact more rational than expected. Ultimately, the man was seeking closure, more than revenge. He was of a sound mind with all of his faculties. He was not going crazy as Bertram and the impostor were trying to convince him that he was. Jane himself knew that he was not off of his rocker. He also wasn't completely lying when he said he looked at the hunt rather as a "hobby" than vengeance.

Then came the clincher. The words from whom Jane believed to have been Red John:

" _Don't you see that I'm trying to do you a favor? Seeking revenge is a waste of your precious time. Your life is precious, Patrick. Get on with that precious life. Find yourself a woman to love. Start a family."_

Those words reverberated within Jane. This creep, this psychopathic piece of filth, was right. The irony of it was nonsensical.

"When you're dead," Jane said- plain and simple. For a fleeting moment, hearing his own response was an awakening to himself. It made him realize that he was admitting to the fact that he wanted to move on and experience all of those wonderful things, but the only thing getting in his way was this piece of vermin. That was wrong. How could he spite himself and let this worthless creep win? He would build for himself instead of try to destroy another. Yes, he would not back off from exacting his revenge, but he would use that same determination to make sure he succeeded with the other part of the victory.

His words were a promise to himself that he would live by his own declaration.

After killing the man in cold blood, Jane's will to move on with his life, with his love, with _Lisbon_ , came into stark view.

Although, as it turned out, the real Red John was still on the loose, Jane had still gotten the taste of what life would be like free from him in it. Even if it was just for a few superficial moments. It gave him the permission to work on letting go of his past and still experience what both the present and the future held. He owed it to himself, and he owed it to Lisbon.

With the Red John situation still lingering on, nobody could foresee how long it would be until they finally caught him. They would all remain hopeful and still work tirelessly at finding him, just as hard as they had until now. Nothing would change on that front. However, Jane saw now how much time he had wasted not being with Lisbon all of these years. How had he resisted her for so long? He did not want to look back one day and regret not being with her sooner. Life was too short.


End file.
